We came. We fought. And we won.

This weekend I went to St. George with the marching band.
We had been preparing for seven months for 10 minutes.
Countless practices, countless hours, unbelievable devotion, all lead up to this moment.
State and Region competitions.

We knew that we were ready.
We knew that we needed to do our best.
That this was the last time that we would perform the show.

We got into our sections and talked.
We talked about the year, and everyone got the opportunity to say something.
We were ready.

We played prelims.
And got first.
We swept.

We played finals.
And everyone knew it was their best show.
Then we waited.

We rubbed shoulders with our competitors, but we didn't care.
We knew that it was our best.
We knew we couldn't have done better.

We marched on the field, and stood in retreat.
We waited for scores.
We heard 10th, 9th, 8th, 7th, 6th, 5th...

Then the music score...
American Fork!
I bit my lip.

Then 4th place and the visual score...
American Fork!
I started smiling.

Then 3rd place and general effect...
American Fork!
I started shaking.

And finally, 2nd place...Clovis West.
And I knew. I knew that it was us.
1st place...American Fork!

I was shaking.
I was smiling.
I was choking up.

And we were released.
I heard screams and realized that they were coming from me.
I hugged my best friend.

And we got another chance to perform our show.
To do the thing that we love.
To show our families that we are proud.

I was one of the last ones on the field.
I knew that once we walked off, we would take our uniforms off, take apart our instruments, and get on the buses. I knew that then it would be over. So I lingered and stayed for a while.
Me and two of my trumpet girls played the balled. We had all 3 parts and it sounded amazing. It was the last time I played it.
And then I walked off the field, took of my uniform, and got on the bus.

We headed out, and arrived at the school.
We had an escort for the last couple miles by the fire trucks and ambulances. The school song was sung so loud. We screamed as we saw the welcoming party at the school.

We got off, got our stuff, and headed inside.
We sang the friend song for the last time. Tears streamed down my face. Afterward, I hugged everyone. And again, I lingered.
I never wanted this to come. I don't want it to end, but it's over.
At least I still have the memories.

1 comment:

It was the most incredible weekend. Congratulations and thank you for taking us, your parents, along for the ride. It's very difficult to describe the emotion, but you have done an outstanding job with your blog.